Houston VS Dallas VS Houston Suburb (Fort Worth, Arlington: to rent, house, employment)

[jcovington912]

I'm currently planning to relocate to Texas !

Dallas/Ft worth was the main area (a suburb of it to live in, Dallas to work) but I've recently been told Houston is worth looking into.

Is there anything better about Houston than Dallas? We are a young family with two young kids. Schools, decent jobs (mechanic and legal work), and an affordable cost of living are most important to us.

Were more than likely looking into a suburb of Houston/Dallas because they appear more affordable at this time. But is Houston affordable enough to live in? Does it have good schools?

Any info is helpful!! Thanks!

[jcovington912]

ALSO - NEIGHBORHOODS IN HOUSTON THAT HAVE GOOD SCHOOLS, I've notices they can either be a hit or miss.

[SugLandDAd]

Houston is geographically a huge city. You have to think first about where you might work, and then think about where you can live that will be a reasonable commute to that place, then you can work on good schools in the places you can commute from.

If you can work anywhere, that makes things easier.

Houston has a bigger economy than Dallas, and is closer to the beach (an hour drive from the southern parts of Houston area. It is warmer, more humid, and sees snow only once every 4 or 5 years.

What kind of budget are you looking at? .

The school ratings for 2017 can be seen at the link below:

2017 Report Card | Rankings

Best Places to raise a family in Houston area

http://m.chron.com/news/houston-texa...#photo-1491073

Safest Areas in the City

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live...on-metro-area/

[jcovington912]

Husband is a mechanic and I currently do paralegal/legal secretary work but would be open to any receptionist-type position.

From what I've gathered, probably around $60-65/year so we would have roughly $5000/month to spend. We would like to rent for a year or so until we were sure we would like the area enough to buy.

I've been researching suburbs and found a couple of Dallas that I like. I just did not look into Houston if that might be better for us, I don't want to rule it out.

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by jcovington912

Husband is a mechanic and I currently do paralegal/legal secretary work but would be open to any receptionist-type position.

From what I've gathered, probably around $60-65/year so we would have roughly $5000/month to spend. We would like to rent for a year or so until we were sure we would like the area enough to buy.

I've been researching suburbs and found a couple of Dallas that I like. I just did not look into Houston if that might be better for us, I don't want to rule it out.

I can tell you the most powerful law firms in the state are HQ'ed in Houston.


Best companies to work for|Best Law Firms in Texas|Vault.com

Most are located DT so suburbs like Pearland, and Sugarland are the most convenient or maybe Kingwood. Spring Branch schools have a good rep and they are inside the city on the west side.

[Denver303TJC]

Originally Posted by jcovington912

Is there anything better about Houston than Dallas?
Any info is helpful!! Thanks!

Yes, all the mosquitoes here in Houston, bwahaha! But, I like that Houston has a good foodie scene (but that's not to say that Dallas is a culinary backwater) and you don't have to worry about the snow, come winter. I visited Dallas in JAN and unfortunately I went during an ice/snow storm, and the roads froze up (literally and figuratively) and it was way too cold for my liking. But, granted, that's not normal in Dallas during winter, so don't let that scare you. But, then again, in Houston you need to worry about flooding, so that's a way in which I'd say Dallas is better. But, I hear Dallas gets a lot of tornadoes, so something to also consider.

I may be going off of stereotypes, but Houston is known as having a more mellow vibe and culture (except on the roads ) and Dallas is more of a "wearing high heels to get coffee" kinda vibe (from what I hear).

Personally, I like that Houston is geographically closer to Mexico and Central/South America, which makes vacations more convenient. But, then again, flying from Dallas to Mexico Central/South America wouldn't be THAT much longer.

I guess at the end of the day it just depends on which city "clicks" more with you and your family.

[jcovington912]

Originally Posted by Denver303TJC

Yes, all the mosquitoes here in Houston, bwahaha! But, I like that Houston has a good foodie scene (but that's not to say that Dallas is a culinary backwater) and you don't have to worry about the snow, come winter. I visited Dallas in JAN and unfortunately I went during an ice/snow storm, and the roads froze up (literally and figuratively) and it was way too cold for my liking. But, granted, that's not normal in Dallas during winter, so don't let that scare you. But, then again, in Houston you need to worry about flooding, so that's a way in which I'd say Dallas is better. But, I hear Dallas gets a lot of tornadoes, so something to also consider.

I may be going off of stereotypes, but Houston is known as having a more mellow vibe and culture (except on the roads ) and Dallas is more of a "wearing high heels to get coffee" kinda vibe (from what I hear).

Personally, I like that Houston is geographically closer to Mexico and Central/South America, which makes vacations more convenient. But, then again, flying from Dallas to Mexico Central/South America wouldn't be THAT much longer.

I guess at the end of the day it just depends on which city "clicks" more with you and your family.

Thank you! We are more of a laid back, relaxed type of family. Were coming from Iowa, would love to avoid snow and cold weather if we can so luckily that's not a norm.

[Texascrude]

Iin the last 10 years, my family and I have lived in Houston (twice), Dallas once, and Fort Worth once.

We LOVED Fort Worth -- if you're just looking for a Texas city to settle down in I'd go there in a heartbeat. Close enough to take advantage of all the Dallas amenities, small enough to enjoy. Depending on where you live, you could be in downtown FTW or Dallas in 30 minutes, giving you tons of employment options.

We like Houston fine and are happy here, but if I worked in a different industry or could get a job that paid similar somewhere else I'd take it and wouldn't think twice about leaving. The weather up in DFW is just a few degrees cooler year round, but with that and the lower humidity it makes a big difference. I like the people and culture in Houston more than in Dallas, but enjoyed Fort Worth more than either.

[Texascrude]

Originally Posted by jcovington912

Husband is a mechanic and I currently do paralegal/legal secretary work but would be open to any receptionist-type position.

From what I've gathered, probably around $60-65/year so we would have roughly $5000/month to spend. We would like to rent for a year or so until we were sure we would like the area enough to buy.

I've been researching suburbs and found a couple of Dallas that I like. I just did not look into Houston if that might be better for us, I don't want to rule it out.

Building on my other post about Fort Worth. With that salary range you could look at Arlington, North Richland Hills, the mid-cities area (Hurst, Euless, Bedford), or if you're okay living a bit further out Haslet is a great place to settle down, but further from the Dallas side of things (not by much).

[chris_ut]

You won't be able to afford a house in most of the suburbs listed in the safest or best lists. Southside Place I think the cheapest house is $1.6MM.